State and International Winners Selected in 2011 State-Fish Art Contest
OutdoorHub 05.10.11
BROOKLYN CENTER, MN – Wildlife Forever is proud to announce the winners of the 2011 State-Fish Art Contest. A distinguished panel of wildlife artists and honorary judges selected 104 winners from a field of thousands to be “the best of the best” in their state and grade category and for the international entries in each grade category.
“Wildlife Forever is pleased to honor the talented young artists, educators and parents who make the State-Fish Art Contest such a successful program,” said Douglas H. Grann, President & CEO of Wildlife Forever. “Together, we are using art to empower a new generation of conservationists. By sharing their fish art with family, friends and the general public, our young people are becoming ambassadors for good stewardship of fish and wildlife habitat.”
All winning entries can be seen at: www.statefishart.org.
Each state’s winner will have the opportunity to join talented young artists from across the country at the 13th Annual State-Fish Art EXPO June 24th and 25th at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens, Texas. All winning artwork will be on display and an awards ceremony will recognize the winners before the crowd. Each winning artist, attending the EXPO, will receive great prizes, art supplies, goodie bags, and fishing supplies from Rapala.
National awards will be announced at the State-Fish Art EXPO honoring the top three pieces of artwork in each grade category selected from the state and international winners.
An overall “Best of Show” winner will be announced to receive the new “Seth Thomas Spradlin Best of Show Award” given in honor of the 2008 winner who lost his life in an Alaska bush plane accident this past August.
The People’s Choice Award will be determined by a world-wide public online vote through links on the State-Fish Art website www.StateFishArt.org and on the Contest Fan page: www.facebook.com/StateFishArtContest. Online voting will begin on Monday, May 9th and conclude on June 23rd with additional votes collected in person at the State-Fish Art EXPO.
One outstanding piece of artwork will win the “Art of Conservation” Stamp Award and be reproduced as the 2011 State-Fish Art Conservation Stamp. Proceeds from the stamp will be used to fund the Contest and children’s outdoor education.
A brand-new annual recognition, the “Smile Award”, will be given to a piece of art, selected from all the entries, that just “makes you smile and feel good inside” … how cool is that!
Judges for this year’s competition included: David Hartwell – President, Bellcomb Technologies, Robert Hautman – Wildlife Artist, two-time Federal Duck Stamp winner, Greg Huff – Social Media Editor, North American Fishing Club, Dirk Peterson – Chief of Fisheries, Minnesota DNR, Dale Schulz – Wildlife Forever Board Member, plus Scott Grieve – Wildlife Forever Chairman of Board (Alternate Judge).
Wildlife Forever’s 13th annual State-Fish Art Contest was made possible by support from: the North American Fishing Club, Rapala, Blick Art Materials, The Art Institutes International, Minnesota, Cheap Joe’s Art Stuff, the U.S. Forest Service Eastern Region, and the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center.
About the State-Fish Art Contest
The Wildlife Forever State-Fish Art Contest is entering its 13th year of bringing children, art and aquatic conservation together. To enter, young artists create an original illustration of any official state-fish and a written essay detailing its behavior, habitat, and efforts to conserve it. Entries are categorized in three grade levels: 4-6, 7-9, and 10-12. Educators nationwide utilize Fish On!, the full-color State-Fish Art Lesson Plan, combining the disciplines of science and art. It is available on CD, at no charge, and for download at www.StateFishArt.info. Entries are due by March 31st each year.
About Wildlife Forever
Located in Brooklyn Center, MN, Wildlife Forever is a non-profit all species conservation organization dedicated to conserving America’s wildlife heritage. Working at the grassroots level, Wildlife Forever has funded conservation projects in all 50 states, committing millions of dollars to “on the ground” and “in the water” efforts. Wildlife Forever supports habitat restoration and enhancement, land acquisition, research, and management of fish and wildlife populations. Learn more at: www.WildlifeForever.org
